Internal combustion engines require thermal management to control the temperature of the components of the engine. For example, a cylinder block commonly has a cooling jacket with a circulating fluid flowing therethrough to cool the block and the cylinder liners in the block. During engine operation, the bore wall of a cylinder liner may have a non-uniform temperature axially or along the length of the liner, for example, due to higher temperature gases in the upper region of the liner. The variation in bore wall temperature may lead to distortion of the cylinder liner such that the bore wall becomes non-cylindrical and/or changes shape along a length of the liner. Cylinder bore distortion may result in the piston rings having difficulty conforming to the cylinder wall during engine operation as the bore shape changes, and this in turn may lead to higher blow-by of combustion gases, increased engine oil or lubricant consumption, additional engine noise, wear of the piston rings, and reduced engine efficiency and fuel economy.